Main battle tank T-80U was developed in 1985 in Soviet constructor bureau
Nr.3 (KB-3, general constructor N.S.Popov) in result of modernization tank
T-80. It was serially produced in Kirovsk plant, Omsk transport machine building
plant and Charkov city Malishev's name plant.

Tank T-80U has classic composition usual for earlier soviet tanks.
Engine and transmission compartment is placed in the rear part, driving
compartment - at the front part and combat compartment - in the middle
part of the tank.

Tank has welded hull and
moulded turret. There were realized a number of constructions in hull and
turret to higher tanks defense from usual destruction means. Hull and
turrets front parts are made as a combined armor with additionally placed
built-in Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) modules, which cover more than 50%
of the front, lateral and turret roof square. Hull sides are covered with
rubber anticumulative sideskirts with steel plates in the front part.
T-80U armor defense against cumulative projectiles is evaluated in about
900 mm homogeneous armor steel and
1100 mm against undercaliber. According that main battle tank T-80U is
protected almost from all massive anti-tank cumulative projectiles and
significally protected from armor-piercing undercaliber projectiles in
traverse range of + 35 degrees.

It's defense is also increased by constructional decisions
such as silent gas-turbine, additional electric aggregate GTA-18A which in
some situations can be used in stead of main engine, thermosmoke equipment
and smoke grenade launchers 902B "Tuchia", retrench equipment
and hardpoints for hanging mine trawl.

Vitality in the battlefield is provided by new
fast-working automatic fire prevention equipment 3EJC13 "Inei", turrets
dynamoelectric which is more fire safe propulsion instead of
electrohydraulic, and positioning the biggest part of ammunition under the
turret.

Armament contains armour-piercing undercaliber, cumulative and HE-FRAG
(High Explosive Fragmentation) projectiles. There can be
also used guided anti-tank missiles 9M119 with guided missile complex 9K119 "Refleks" (NATO codename AT-11 "Sniper"). Guided
missile has the same dimensions as an ordinary projectile and is
automatically loaded from ammunition carousel. Missile has cumulative
warhead laser beam guided system and can be also used against low flying
helicopters. In 100 - 4000 m distance hit probability is 80% and 70% in
4000 - 5000 m.

Tank has modern fire control system which allows
gunner and commander separately
select targets and destroy chosen targets in all weather and
day/night conditions and on the move. Gunner has dual axis
stabilized sight "Irtish" with built in laser range-pole,
missiles control channel and sights calibration with gun device. This sight
allows to detect "tanks" type targets in 5000
m range. For firing at night gunner uses combined active-passive sight
"Buran-PA" with stabilized sighting field.

Beginning from 1992 tank is fitted with
"Agava-2" thermovision sight which has longer targets detection
and recognition range also in limited visibility conditions. Tanks
commander uses this sights special channel.

Main commanders observation, firing and target
positioning device is stabilized in vertical axle aiming-observational day
and night complex PNK-4S. Commanders devices allow him to recognize the
most dangerous target to aim independently from gunner and to destroy
target.

T-80U additional armament consists
from 7.62-mm coaxial machine-gun PKT and 12.7-mm anti-aircraft machine-gun
NSVT, which is mounted on the roof on one of the three connection pionts.

In
engine-transmission compartment placed interchangeable complex consisting
from multi-fuel gas-turbine diesel engine GTD-1250 with 1250 h.p.(till
1990 there were placed GTD-1000TF with 1100 h.p.). Engine is made like
monoblock and can be changed in field conditions in three hours.

Mechanical
transmission consists from three planetary aggregates.
Every of them turns on gear box, reduction gear and hydro-servo movement
control reduction. Transmission provides four forward drives and one
backward.

Every side has six bearing rolls with
rubber bandages and aluminum discs and also five supporting rolls with
internal amortization. Bearing roll suspension
is individual, torsion. Driving wheels are placed rear. Steel track has rubber
metallic knuckle and rubbered running track.

For internal communication
T-80U uses ultrashort wave radio set R - 173. For internal usage it has internal radioset.

In beginning of 90-ties in
Russian army was adopted variant of T-80U command version T-80UK which is
additionally fitted with optic-electronic counteraction system "Shtora",
ultrashort wave radio set, navigational device TNA-4-3, autonomic 1 kvt
power electro-generator AB-1-P28. Tank is produced by Omsk transport
machine building plant.

Further T-80U evolution
are Russian tanks T-80U-M and T-90 and also Ukraine T-80UD and
T-84.